J.J. White
J.J. White is a defensive end for the Baltimore Ponies. Biography Growing up, JJ had a lot to prove as he was the runt of three older brothers and had a father who was more than enthusiastic about sports. Though his family wasn't exactly wealthy by any means, he lived in a loving household with a single father, that is until the whistle blew and the games began on the field of football. Their father, an avid FFL fan (since a debilitating injury kept him from the pros), always encouraged his kids to be as fearless as possible, and while his brothers excelled at picking up the predatory instinct, JJ struggled as he was smaller than most sharks, let alone boys, at his age and would constantly find himself getting trucked and utterly ran over on the defensive side of the ball. This continued through middle school where he was forced to watch his brother's play while he was sidelined though he still played because it was what they did as a family. When he tried to move to an offensive position, he found that he had hands of stone and couldn't catch or carry the ball to save his life, and, due to his small size, he wouldn't be very effective at blocking. He felt as if he were utterly useless to the team, which added a sense of desperation when it came to finding himself. While his brother's excelled at their positions, JJ always felt a step behind them which carried over into other aspects of his life, such as the dinner table where he often felt left out and alone. Though he never openly showed his emotion in a household that preached 'manliness' and 'machoism', he began to become depressed, feeling that if he quit football he'd be letting everyone down even more. While his brother's made sure to look out for him so bullies didn't try anything, it didn't help the fact that it made him feel weak and insignificant. It wasn't until he entered high school that he was truly a boy amongst men on the field, still looking like he just entered the 7th grade. He also discovered something else about himself that was different from his brothers, he wasn't attracted to girls, period. This led to him becoming distracted Freshman year, knowing if anyone found out he'd surely be shunned from the team, and subsequently, family. He tried to keep to himself, cursing himself for being so different from everybody, which only caused him to become isolated and depressed and his play on the field suffered even further. It wasn't until Sophmore year that things began to improve DRASTICALLY. After becoming more confident in who he was after coming out to a friend, his body, a late-bloomer, began to develop quickly through training, but he was still behind the other players in terms of experience after being on the bench for so long, but that didn't stop him from vastly improving so much that by the end of the season, he could break through the offensive line and played the final snap of the season. While his brothers began to receive college letter's and goof off with the girls in the off season, JJ trained constantly with a new sense of self-confidence as he was finally figuring himself out, and his grades improved as a result. When it was time for the season Junior year, the coaches were surprised with how quickly he was developing, but he was still too inexperienced, though he was now overpowering guys that tried to bully him Freshman year. He continued to develop significantly through the season and after one of his brother's was sidelined with an injury, he took over the starting position of DE. Despite starting only half the season, he put up solid stats for any High School player. Senior year was his breakout year, and his coaches could hardly recognize him as he stepped on the field to begin his final season. The young shark, bulked up from training after hitting his growth spurt, was now the most feared one on the field, a trait that he'd never experienced before as that right always went to one of his brothers, who were confounded with how well he played. That year, though his team was eliminated in the second round of Playoffs, he garnered 1st team All-State, and set the school record for most sacks. His play on the field earned him a scholarship as a four-star recruit, but he wanted to stay close to home, knowing his brothers would leave and no one would be there for their dad. He chose Florida Aquatic, a decent DII school rebuilding for a championship run. Before leaving for College he came out to his father, who was very slow to accept the idea at first, which affected JJ's play Freshman year as he spent more time stressing than focusing. Through the training program they had and after a talk with the coach, JJ refocused and once again improved significantly as his body continued to develop to a point that surpassed his father, even in his prime. He began completely overpowering the DII offensive lines and recorded 17 sacks in one season while his team garnered the StarDeer Bowl Game Win. Junior and Senior year saw JJ win 1st team All-American and 2 Bowl Game wins. He tied the record with most sacks in a career, but shattered the record in most sacks in a single game and within a season. He was named a Furnarik Finalist (Losing to Ethan Frost) but took home the Defensive End of the year award. His family marveled at how much he had accomplished, falling short of having stellar careers themselves. JJ's happiest moment was when his father hugged him, long having accepted who he was, apologized for his behavior, and told him how proud he was to be his dad. JJ may look menacing in appearance due to how much his body developed over the years, but he's actually a very nice person. Neither he or his family know what it's like to be in the FFL and the nerves may get the best of this hulking young shark, but nerves or not, he's ready to take his game to the next level and declare himself for the 2015 UFFL draft. Interview After a long practice on the field, what does your player prefer to eat? "Do you even have to ask? Let's see *Counting on webbed fingers* fish, definitely salmon, catfish...uh, no offense to Jetty Abrahams, steak, though I prefer it extra rare, or if they just slap it on the plate and serve it to me, that's cool too, squid, shrimp, anything aquatic that moves, uh...anything on land that moves, I'm not a real picky eater to be honest, maybe that's a shark thing too." If you asked your linefur, "What do you do in your free time?" how would they respond? "Oh, dude, pool. Definitely pool, or beach if there's one nearby, every shark will tell you that. Maybe it's just a gill thing, but when you can breath underwater and just get away from everything, there's nothing else like it. Not saying there's nothing better, just nothing else like it." Football players sign contracts with teams to get paid millions of dollars. When your player is signed to a team, are they going to care more about security (staying on a team longer) or money (earning the big $$$) in their contract offer? Whille JJ would love to be loyal to one team his entire career, he has his family to think about. He's going to want the best deal that will keep him on the team while earning him a lot of money. What is your player doing in the off-season to improve their chances of being drafted higher? JJ is showing his athleticism whenever he can at events sponsored by the UFFL. He doesn't have the money for travel so he can be where the spotlight is, so he has to make due with what he has by visiting teams for private workouts, mainly the North Florida Renegades, a team he wants very much to play for. Contract Info Statistics Individual Win-Loss Record Total Record: 10-9 Playoff Record: 2-1 Regular Season: 8-8 Category:Aquatics Category:Shark Category:Defensive Ends Category:Baltimore Category:Defensive Linemen